Apparatus for treating and blending molder&#39;s sand



AugsB, 1939.

s. a. DAVIES APPARATUS FOR TREATING AND BLENDING MOLDERS SAND Filed May 24, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 1 Aug. 8, 1939. s. B. DAVIES 2,168,515

APPARATUS FOR TREATING AND BLENDING HQLDER'S SAND Filed May 24, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V .39 J/ 45 I9 Jim/ 5900,

Patented Aug. 8, 1939 APPARATUS FOR TREATING ANDLBLENDING MOLDERS SAND Stanley B. Davies, Kingston, Pa., assignor to Royer Foundry and Machine (3b., Kingston,

Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 24,

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus of the character of that described and claimed in an earlier Patent No. 1,736,055,- dated November 19, 1929.

The object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the character referred to which will specifically have certain advantages over the machine of said patent and which will be hereinafter more particularly described.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of an embodiment of the present invention.

"Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section through the hopper, substantially on the line 2 -2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail of the sweep operating mechanism. 7

Figures 4 and 5 are details of one of the sand supporting rollers.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail of the weighted gate, and

"Figure '7 is a fragmentary detail of the deflector apron.

Referring particularly to Figure 1, it will be seen that the improved machine, like that of the patent referred to, includes a suitable hopper,

having side walls I0, which is open at the bottom and positioned above a flexible separating belt ll mounted upon suitable supporting rollers to travel in a vertically inclined direction, the upper supporting roller 12 beingconnected by suitable "belt gearing :l'3 enclosed in a casing l4, with a pulley 15 on the shaft of an electric motor I6.

The belt supporting rollers and the motor are mounted in a supporting frame which is in the former a readily portable truck having ground wheels l1 and a trail extension [8. By means of suitable handles l9, inserted in sockets 20, one at each side of the machine, the entire apparatus may be readily moved over a foundry floor or other surface on which the wheels 11 rest.

The belt I I, which is driven at a relatively high speed by the motor I6, is, as is customary in this type of machine, provided with a series of outwardly projecting sprigs which will separate granular-like particles from a mass of material deposited upon the belt within the walls of the hopperand the separated particles collected in the spaces between .the sprigs on the belt will be discharged in a stream ,as they pass over the upper belt supporting roller l2,

The speed at which the belt is driven is such that the stream of particles thus separated and collected will be discharged at a considerable distance from the apparatus, the passage of 1935, Serial No. 23,300

across the belt ll.

The plates may, of course, be

of various lengths and a plurality of aligned plates may be employed for providing each transverse row of sprigs.

As shown, particularly in Figure 2, the supporting frame includes two main members 22 of angle iron and the side walls 10 of the hopper are suitably connected to said angle iron bars, the upper portions of such walls being flared outwardly, as shown.

The lower portions of the side walls of the hopper are deflected or inclined inwardly as at.23, and then extend outwardly and upwardly with each end portion 24 abutting and connected to its respective frame member 22. With this construction, the material delivered in the hopper is deposited toward the center of the belt rather than adjacent the side edges thereof thus reducing the wear on the fabric.

One of the features of improvement of the present invention over'the .construction of the prior patent referred to, is the manner in which the detents or sweeps forming a portion of the upper end wall of the hopper, are constructed and mounted. These detents or sweeps consist of suitable metal bladeswhich are supported in a position substantially perpendicular to the path of travelof the belt, and have their lower ends in close proximity to .thefouter edges of the separating sprigs.

They act to normally prevent passage of undesirable material, such as nails, scrap metal, nuts and so forth, which are freguently mixed with used molders sand or other undesirable largepieces that are not collected in the spaces separating the sprigs, over the upper belt supporting roll 3 and being discharged with the finer particles that have been collectedby the belt.

In the patented construction, while the sweeps are mounted for relative individual movement, they can be adjusted for wear only as a complete unit. It has been found, however, in many instances, that the lower edges of the sweeps wear unevenly so that after continued use the center sweeps will be worn to a greater extent than the sweeps at each side of the hopper.

Thus, before adjusting the sweeps to take care of the wear of the center ones, the side sweeps must be filed to compensate for the uneven wear. This operation requires considerable time and labor, and it is, therefore, one of the objects of the present invention to eliminate this objectionable feature.

In the improved construction, each blade is not only mounted for individual swinging movement, but is also capable of individual longitudinal adjustment to compensate for uneven wear. The preferred embodiment incorporating these features is best illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, wherein the numeral 25 designates the sweep casing extending transversely of the hopper and having side walls 26 within which is mounted a transversely extending shaft 21. A plurality of sweep supports 28 are journaled on shaft 21, and to these supports are adjustably secured the sweeps. Each sweep comprises an adjustable blade 29 of hardened steel and a sweep finger 30 which cooperates with its respective support to clamp a blade in adjusted position. This is accomplished by providing the finger with an integral rearwardly projecting threaded bolt 3|, which passes through a longitudinally extending slot 32 in the upper portion of the blade, and then through an aperture in the sweep support 28. A nut 33 is threaded on the bolt 3| to clamp the sweep elements in operative position. As shown, the sweep finger terminates at its lower extremity substantially with the lower end of the support 28 and is provided intermediate its ends with a stud 34 engaging in the slot 32 to retain the blade in longitudinal alignment and prevent pivotal movement thereof about the bolt 3|. With this construction it is apparent that if one or more blades wear unevenly, each may be easily and quickly adjused by loosening its nut 33, thereby permitting the blade to be shifted downwardly until its lower edge is aligned with those of the other blades. The means for allowing individual pivotal movement of the sweeps comprises the same structure illustrated in the Royer patent. For each sweep, there is provided a separate coil spring 35 suitably secured at its front end to the sweep and having its other end connected to a transverse rod 36. However, while in the patent this rod is fixed to the sweep casing, the rod 36 issupported by the side walls 26 of the sweep casing and passes through aligned arcuate slots 31 formed in said walls. A pair of handles 38 are pivotally connected to the side walls 26, outside of the sweep casing and each handle is provided with an elongated opening 39, receiving one end of the rod .36. Furthermore, the rear of each slot 31 is cut away to provide a pocket 46 so that the rod 36 may be normally retained or locked in its rearmost position in the slot.

This arrangement permits all of the sweeps to be moved simultaneously to allow any large material that has been caughtbetween the belt and blades, to have a quick release. Normally, the blades will rest in the position shown in Figure 1, with the springs 35 being under sufficient tension to urge the upper 'ends of the blade against the front edge of the sweep casing. In this position, each sweep is capable of individual movement about the shaft 21 against the tension of its spring. When, however, one or both handles 38 is moved forwardly, the rod 36 will be lifted out of the pockets 40 and carried forwardly with the handles. The springs 35, functioning as links between the rod and their respective sweeps, will move the latter as a unit about the shaft 21 as a pivot, and thus raise the lower extremities of the sweeps away from the belt ll, thus permitting large material to be quickly released.

As in the patented construction, means are provided to adjust the sweeps bodily by permitting adjustment of the sweep casing 25. In this connection, the frame members 4| which support the sweep casing, are provided with slots 42 through which project suitable bolts 43. By loosening the nuts 44 at both sides of the casing, the latter may be vertically adjusted as desired.

A further improvement of the present invention consists in the provision of means for defiecting the sand that has worked over the edges of the belt, downwardly and outwardly from the space between the belt runs. If the hopper is excessively loaded, sand will fall on the inside of the belt between the lower faces of the upper and lower rollers. These particles, if allowed to accumulate on the belt and travel around with the same, will have a tendency to decrease the life of the belt. This undesirable feature is eliminated in the present construction, in which 45 designates an end cross strap secured to the underside of the belt supporting plate 46. This strap is bent upwardly at each end to form tongues 41 having studs 48 projecting outwardly therefrom. On each side of the top run of the belt and projecting inwardly beyond the edge threof is an inclined deflector 49 extending longitudinally of the belt and terminating at each end adjacent one of the rollers 12. This deflector is suitably supported by means of brackets 50. The lower end of each bracket is riveted or otherwise secured to the deflector while the upper portion thereof is bolted to one of the studs 48 of the tongues 41. With this arrangement, any sand that may spill over the edges of the upper run of the belt will be deflected downwardly and outwardly away from the lower run and fall clear of the machine. For supporting the plate 46 with respect to the frame, there is provided a centrally disposed cross strap 5| having its ends projecting beyond the side edges of the plate. Studs 52 are secured to these ends and pass upwardly through openings in the frame members 22, being adjustably connected thereto by suitable nuts 52. By adjusting the studs and nuts, the plate 46 is maintained in proper position to support the upper run of the belt. Preferably, an outer guard 53 is hinged to the frame 22 and extends downwardly to a point just below, but sufficiently spaced from the deflector so as not to interfere with the escape of sand therefrom. As shown in Figure 1, this guard deflects spillage from the shovels which deliver sand to the hopper, but terminates a sufficient distance above the lower run of the belt to permit access to the underpart of the belt and the rollers for the purpose of cleaning off sand dust that may have accumulated on the same.

In the patented construction, the outlet at the lower end of the hopper is normally closed by a gate supported on a rock shaft mounted in bearings in the walls of the hopper and provided at one end with a handle that extends above the upper edge of the hopper side wall so that it may be readily grasped by an attendant. By rocking the shaft, the gate may be turned so that pieces which have been separated from the granular particles, may be discharged from the lower end of the belt instead of having to be manually removed therefrom. While this arrangement has proven quite satisfactory, it is objectionable in that the gate will not close of its own accord after being raised and therefore, if the attendant should fail to return it to closed position, considerable material would be accidentally discharged from the lower end of the belt before it had a chance to be treated. In the present device this defect has been corrected by providing a gate which will automatically return to its closed position as soon as the handle is released by the attendant. Referring to Figures 1 and'6, the gate 54 is mounted on rock shaft 55 journaled in the side walls ll] of the hopper. 'This shaft is extended upwardly at one side of the hopper to provide a handle 56 and a stop 51 is secured to the upper portion of the hopper to limit the movement of the gate and handle. To the lower portion of the gate is secured a weight 58 which is sufficiently heavy to automatically return the gate to closed position. Thus after the gate is opened by an attendant to discharge undesirable material, the handle may be released and the weight will automatically swing the gate downwardly and the handle upwardly until the latter is arrested by the stop 51.

In the operation of the apparatus disclosed in the Royer patent, it has been ascertained that if the attendant is not Watchful, particles of sand will collect between the belt and the respective rollers l2 and form a fillet-like corner, causing the belt to climb the roller flange, particularly if the belt is not lined up or kept at the right tension. This action materially reduces the life of the belt, causing the edges to fray and the sprigs to work loose. In the present embodiment each roller l2, as usual, is formed with an annular belt engaging hub 59 and side flanges 60 integrally connecting the edges of the hub. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, each flange is provided with a plurality of flared openings 6| extending entirely around the circumference of the flange. These openings are of a height substantially half the width of the flange with the inner edge 62 of each opening terminating flush with the hub and constituting an extension thereof. With this arrangement, any sand that falls off the edges of the belt will, instead of being confined, escape through the openings 6| and fall clear of the belt and frame.

Referring to Figures 1 and 7, there is disclosed a deflector 63 for the purpose of deflecting the treated sand as it is discharged from the belt so that it may be delivered at any desirable distance from the machine. This deflector comprises an apron 64 having a width greater than that of the belt and provided with downwardly extending side flanges 65. These flanges are suitably journaled in spaced brackets 66 detachably mounted on the frame above the upper end of the belt and positioned on each side thereof. Each bracket is provided with an outwardly projecting stud or bolt 61 upon which is pivotally supported one of the flanges 65 and any suitable means such as nuts 68 may cooperate with the bolts to retain the deflector in adjusted position.

Normally the sand is projected a considerable distance from the machine and this is entirely satisfactory if the material is to be discharged upon a foundry floor. However, in many instances it is desirable to discharge the sand into a bin or at a specified location and for this purpose the deflector is nicely adapted, as the discharge can be controlled according to the angle at which the deflector is set.

Referring to Figure 1, there is disclosed a belt guard 69 entirely enveloping the lower end of the sand belt. This is to prevent the attendant from injuringhis hand on the traveling belt, should he attempt to lift the machine by the handle brackets 26 instead of by the handles IS.

The apparatus is further provided with a scrap deflector or hood 10 at the upper end of the hopper for deflecting small undesirable material, such as pebbles, and small pieces, back into the hopper. Without this safeguard, the material would be thrown by the belt out into space and possibly injure anyone standing near the machine.

While the apparatus hereinbefore described is particularly adapted for use in preparing molders sand, it may be employed for other purposes and for treating different materials. For ex'- ample, such apparatus has been found to be very efficient in preparing top soil or dressings for lawns, golf greens, and so forth.

I claim:

1. In a sand treating apparatus, a sand treating belt, a hopper for directing sand to the belt, one wall of said hopper comprising a plurality of individually pivotally mounted blades, the lower ends of which are normally positioned closely adjacent the belt and adapted to yield in the direction of travel of the belt, means for bodily adjusting said blades as a unit in the direction of their length to vary the distance normally separating their lower ends from the belt, means for individually adjusting each blade in the direction of its length, and means for quickly moving all of said blades about their pivots as a unit out of operative position adjacent the belt.

2. In a sweep for use in sand treating apparatus in which the sweep members are subjected to unequal wear at their operating edges, the combination of a plurality of supports, sweep blades mounted on each of said supports, each blade having a longitudinally extending slot, a plurality of sweep fingers one for each blade, and means for clamping said sweep blades in position individually whereby the several sweep blades may be individually adjusted to compensate for wear, said means including bolts connected to said sweep fingers and passing through the longitudinal slots in the sweep blades and through said supports, each sweep finger having a stud positioned above the bolt and also engageable with the slot to prevent pivotal movement of its respective blade about its bolt.

3. In a sand treating apparatus, a sand treating belt, a pair of spaced rollers supporting said belt, one at least of said rollers having a wide belt suporting hub provided with end flanges and with which the belt is in contact with the hub surface throughout its width, each of said flanges having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings, the inner end of each opening being flush with the surface of the hub to permit the free escape of sand which may fall from the side edges of the belt.

4. In a sand treating apparatus, a sand treating belt, a pair of spaced rollers supporting said belt, one at least of said rollers having a wide belt supporting hub provided with end flanges and with which the belt is in contact with the hub surface throughout its width, each of said flanges having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings, the walls of each opening being flared outwardly with the inner wall being flush with the surface of the hub to permit the free escape of sand which may fall from the side edges of the belt.

5. In a sand treating apparatus having a movable sand treating element, a sand sweep comprising a plurality of individually and pivotally mounted supports, a sweep blade mounted on each of said supports and projecting downwardly therefrom with the lower ends of said blades normally positioned closely adjacent the sand treating element, a plurality of sweep fingers, one for each blade, each finger covering the upper end of its respective blade and projecting above the uper end of its support, means for clamping each sweep blade between its respective support and finger to permit adjustment of the blade relative to said sand treating element, and means associated with the upper ends of the sweep fingers for yieldably maintaining the blades in operative position adjacent the sand treating element, said last-mentioned means including a movably mounted rod, springs connecting the rod to the upper ends of the sweep fingers, and means for operating the rod to quickly move all of the sweep blades about their pivots.

6. In a sand treating apparatus having a movable sand treating element, a sand sweep comprising a plurality of individually and pivotally mounted supports, a sweep blade mounted on each of said supports and projecting downwardly therefrom with the lower ends of said blades normally position-ed closely adjacent the sand treating element, each blade having a longitudinally extending slot located within the confines of its support, a plurality of sweep fingers, one for each blade, each finger covering the upper end of its blade and projecting above the upper end of its support, means for adustably clamping the blades between the fingers and supports including bolts connected to the fingers and passing through the longitudinal slots in the blades and through said supports, and means associated with the upper ends of the sweep fingers for yieldably maintaining the blades in operative position adjacent the sand treating element, said last-mentioned means including a movably mounted rod, springs connecting the rod to the upper ends of the sweep fingers, and means for operating the rod to quickly move all of the sweep blades about their pivots.

STANLEY B. DAVIES. 

